Misunderstood ::The tale of Percy Weasley::
by peanuts107
Summary: Why is Percy hated by his family? What happened during the summer between GoF and OoTP? What would you do and how far would you go for the girl you loved? Contains Blood, Sex and Magic.
1. Images of the past

**Disclaimer: -** Harry Potter and all related characters, items, and magical spells belong totally and fully to the fantastic JKRowling. This fic is purely made for my personal pleasure and is not meant to offend, ridicule or reduce the wonderful works of Ms Rowling whatsoever.

Ok with that out of the way enjoy!

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Misunderstood ::The tale of Percy Weasley::

**Chapter 1: -** Images of the past

How far would you go for love? For undying, unabashed, all consuming love?

The same thing that fuelled the legends of Troy, that made knights betray their kings and made young souls make the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. Sonnets, Plays, Poems, Songs and Stories have been penned for centuries by the most renowned playwrights, authors and poets about this most complicated of all emotions, Love, the thing that makes great legends and even greater empires crumble, Love, the most basic of human emotions, Love, the strongest emotion we humans can ever feel.

Twenty year old Percy Ignatius Weasley was a man in love and he had been since his fifth year at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and Wizardry, Percy Weasley had been a straight O grade student. In academic circles he was revered and admired, at work he was respected and at home he was loved. Percy knew that his life was perfect; every aspect of it was meticulously maintained and groomed to within an inch of perfection. Percy's success and idealistic lifestyle had all been made possible because he knew that whatever life threw at him one thing would for ever remain constant; his love for his fiancée Penelope Clearwater.

For years Penny had been Percy's rock, she had kept Percy sane in a world full of madness and chaos that was his childhood home, the burrow as his parents had so affectionately called it. It wasn't that Percy didn't love or care for his family, on the contrary he did. He loved his family as much as he loved Penny, but his parents were different to himself, their beliefs were different and they thought and acted very differently to Percy. He knew that his parents loved him and also in their own special way so did his two older brothers, three younger brothers and his younger sister. But in an environment that consisted of seven siblings and was full of hand-me-downs and a lack of space and privacy that was almost suffocating, Percy had felt trapped, and even more so when in his first year at his new job working for the ministry of magic in the department for International Cooperation Percy found himself in a lot of trouble.

Percy's dreams where still plagued by the memories of that day, of a dark featureless room, a pitch black sightless room and a chair that was hard and cold as chains bound him to it, tightening around his ankles, legs, wrists, arms and chests. It was hard to breathe and he choked and gasped for breath as they constricted around him lashing him hard with their cold steel as they bit and pinched at his skin and robes.

"Are you one of them?" a toneless voice asked from the darkness as a strong light burned at his eyes blinding him and forcing him to turn his face from the it but the light flowed his movements, unrelenting as he squeezed his eyelids shut.

"Are you one of them?" Another voice asked this time stronger and more demanding, he didn't know how to answer, he didn't know what they wanted he just wanted to be free. He wanted to go home, he wanted his mother, he wanted her hold him close like she used to when he was a young boy and he had been scared or when he had grazed his knee and she had told him that everything would be alright and that she would take care of him

"ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?" the voice barked and the light burned even stronger and he squeezed his eyes tighter still his head was racing he felt as though the walls where closing in as he gasped for air as the chains held him tighter to the chair, he had to get free he had to!

"**ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?"**

"**NO!!!"** he yelled as sat up gasping for breath as he clutched his throat his eyes wide, sweat trickling down his brow, his chest felt light and free it took a second for Percy to realise that he was safe. He was in his own soft bed free from chains and that burning light and the dark room and those disembodied voices. He was in his own bed, in his own room in his own house.

"Percy dear are you all right?" Asked a sleepy voice beside him,

"Perfectly" he lied as he turned and looked at his beloved. Penelope's beauty was calming and her smile was perfect, it always begged to be kissed and her eyes shone brightly as she smiled her dark hair fell onto her pillow as she pulled Percy close to her,

"It was just another silly nightmare" she said soothingly and she softly caressed his hair and moped his brow "Everything's alright I'm here to take care of you now" She didn't know what he saw in his nightmares and she didn't know the truth, none of them did, not his mother, his father, brothers, sister none of them. It was impossible to tell them. How would he be able to explain? How could he ever begin to tell them the truth?


	2. The beginning

**Chapter 2: - The beginning **

Percy could no longer sleep, not now anyway, every time he closed his eyes he was instantly back in that room, the cold chains binding him and the bright light blinding him as the voices, cold hard and mocking demanded a truth that never existed.

Percy lay in bed as Penelope; now sleeping soundlessly lay next to him as she slept, her arms wrapped fully around Percy's torso one of her slim legs entangled with his, her black curly hair falling in ringlets that obscured her face as she rested her head on Percy's chest, her breath warming his skin as she slept.

Percy smiled as he looked upon her beauty he thought her to be the most beautiful thing in the world, Penny was a woman that Percy loved beyond anything else in his life, she was intelligent, beautiful and most of all she wanted nothing but the best for him. He remembered the day that he had met with her father over a year ago now. Mr Clearwater was an influential man in the ministry and was a well liked and respected member of the community. He hadn't taken to the idea that his only daughter was dating a Weasley; a family of little title and wealth, but Mr Clearwater had seen something of himself within the young man that his daughter had presented before him. Or at least Percy had always thought so.

"My daughter tells me she loves you, boy," Mr Clearwater had said, his voice deep and deathly as the two men stood in the library of the Clearwater mansion,

"She did?" Percy had answered in utter bewilderment as Penny had never once told him that she felt this way. It had in fact always been Percy that had told Penny of his feelings towards her and she had always laughed, saying that men didn't reveal their feelings to anyone.

"Men," Penny had said "Where the stronger of the two sexes, brave providers for the family that the wife should love and tend to" He should really have known back then what the Clearwater's where like, Percy reflected. But as the third brother of six how was he to have known any difference? His own mother had always tended to her children, loved them, cared for them and even educated them as best she could. But there was one major difference between the Clearwater's and the Weasley's; besides fortunes that is. Arthur and Molly Weasley were both equals in their marriage; Mr and Mrs Clearwater were not.

The Clearwater's had bred within their daughter a subservience that to Percy was quite alarming; despite her high grades at school Penny's only ambition was to be married to a great man and to provide him with a heir.

"It is the job of all women" Mr Clearwater had said "they must run a smart and comfortable home, raise babies and care for their husband's every whim" he had said with a cruel smile. And Penny it had transpired had chosen Percy to be her man. At the time eighteen year old Percy Weasley had been overwhelmed. He had loved Penelope from afar for many years when they had been at school together, but finally at the end of their fifth year Percy had persuaded himself to ask Penny on a date and much to his delight she had agreed.

But Mr Clearwater hadn't shared his daughter's enthusiasms as she presented her young and timid suitor to her father. Mr Clearwater's tone to Percy had been warm and welcoming but as he ushered his child from the room for a privet talk with Percy Mr Clearwater's attitude changed instantly, he became cold and his eyes burned into Percy as he stood, expectantly waiting in front of Penelope's father.

"So" Mr Clearwater had said his tone cruel and hard as he turned and poured himself a large glass of fire whisky "What prospects could you possibly offer my daughter"

Percy vividly remembered how, with one look, Mr Clearwater had made him feel so small and insignificant, how in one glance he had looked Percy up and down. Percy had know that Mr Clearwater had gauged everything in that one look, the price of Percy's hand-me-down best robes, the stain on their left sleeve, the cheapness of his travelling cloak and the exact age of his polished old dress shoes.

But Percy also remembered how he had been saved the torment of Mr Clearwater's gaze as an immaculately dressed servant handed Mr Clearwater a letter which Mr Clearwater opened and read immediately, as Percy, still standing waited in silence.

"You're a Weasley aren't you?" Mr Clearwater had asked smiling pleasantly as he lowered the letter as he sat at his expensive desk. His tone suggesting that Percy's parentage had, until that moment, remained hidden from him. "I think, Mr Weasley that my daughter's choice could be most beneficial for both of us"

"Indeed sir?" Percy had said, ever eager to please his elders and superiors, even though at the time Percy hadn't realised why the pairing would be favourable to Mr Clearwater. Percy had no fortune with which he could buy Penelope's dowry; he had no highflying career and very little savings. The only thing that Percy could possibly offer Mr Clearwater was a connection to a family whose name was as ancient as it was tarnished. Percy knew that as a Weasley his name was decidedly below that of the Clearwater's in all advantageous social circles.

'_The signs where all there'_, Percy thought as he untangled himself from Penelope and moved to stand by the window watching the rain splash onto the pain, _'Hindsight is a truly remarkable thing'_


End file.
